Misguided
by The Illustrated Man
Summary: Most people see in a certain light: a hero, a mortal, a child, a god. He was just a boy. He was a boy with extraordinary abilities, who has gone against countless obstacles and come out all the better for it. He's just a boy, but he's also a hero.


M

When Leo first saw Percy Jackson, he thought that he didn't really live up to the legend. Sure, he guessed that he was kind of attractive (in a bro way), and he looked built, he guessed. He was the son of Poseidon, which was totally unfair, like cheating. Because these kids got all these superpowers, they were automatically the special ones? It's kind of like being popular for being hot.

So, he had the black hair and green eyes of Poseidon. He didn't really stand out in a crowd. He was … average. Leo thought that Jason was a whole lot more attractive, unfortunately. Having a best friend who is big-headed for a reason? A nightmare.

Outside of that, he looked like a skater-boy, with that glint in his eye that all the Hermes kids had. He fidgeted all the time, probably a side effect of ADHD. He actually kind of looked like Leo. You know, if Leo was legendary.

So why was he so special? How did this totally average guy do all this completely insane stuff? He tried asking people why Percy Jackson was so incredibly amazing, why everyone looked up to him like a god. The answer he always got was "He's Percy Jackson." Usually accompanied by a "are you freakin kidding me?" kind of look. Yeah, he understood that, thanks.

Even Clarisse said," You know I hate the punk, but even I gotta respect him." That was impressive. She liked nobody, especially Leo. She hated Leo. He had to admit, maybe setting fire to her hair was a bad idea. How was he to know it would catch that quickly?

Anyway, back on track.

So what gave Percy the respect of everyone he meets?

The first time he saw what everyone else saw in him was not on the battlefield. He actually wished he could forget the memory of the encounter, get rid of the embarrassment. Leo was sobbing on the ground in the woods, clutching a picture of his mom. It was the anniversary of her death, another cruel reminder of his failures. His hands tapped his leg subconsciously, spelling "I love you."

"Leo?" A voice called out."You there?"

Leo stayed silent, not finding the motivation to do anything but sob. He curled even more in on himself, if that was possible, and sobbed harder, if _that_ was possible.

He felt a thump as someone plopped to the ground next to him. Before he knew it, a hand was slowly rubbing circles onto his back. A low hum was coming from the (obviously a boy's) mouth, soft and soothing. Slowly and surely, Leo calmed down, the body shaking sobs quieted and the tears drying on his face.

It was at this point that he looked up.

He saw a figure outlined in the light of the setting sun, tall and imposing. He saw someone who went out of his way to help him. He saw what everyone else saw.

Percy had his hand on Leo's back, maintaining the slow and steady motion of his hand. His deep voice continued to sing, a tuneless song that shouldn't have sounded as good as it did. He sang until Leo felt himself drift off, listening to the deep voice rumbled on.

Just before his mind delved into unconsciousness, Leo thought," I guess I was wrong…"

LINE BREAK

Jason didn't know what to expect of Percy Jackson. After all the stories that the campers told, you would expect the guy to be a god. Oh, wait, he rejected that. Of course.

How could Jason ever live up to that? He was well liked at Camp Halfblood, but everywhere he turned he was compared to Percy Jackson. He couldn't even tell you how many times he had gotten a "you are almost as good as Percy at _!" Although it was meant in good intentions, it still stung. What could you do to gain that type of loyalty?

Jason was used to being the "golden boy" for being the son of Jupiter, being the one everyone looked up to. It was weird to be pushed aside, second place to this Percy. What did he have that he didn't?

He didn't realize that he was wrong, all wrong about Percy Jackson.

It was after the War against Gaea, and he finally enrolled at Goode High School, the school most demigods tend to gravitate towards. Seemingly someone (who was well respected) knew about the situation and excused the students. Cool.

It was the first day of school, and Jason was lost for the sixth time that day. Having never been to a "normal" school before, he didn't know what to do, who to talk to, etc.

The only thing he knew was that you do not run into the biggest guy at school. He had watched a few movies, after all, and knew that that led to trouble. That was the only thing that stuck with him, sadly. And of course he did it anyway.

It was an accident. He was wandering down the hall, attempting to find his chemistry class when a giant mass of muscle slammed into him.

Oops.

He caught himself only to be slammed into the floor. He looked up, seeing the giant of a man standing over him.

"Watch yourself," the giant snarled, attempting to intimidate him. His goons, for every bully has them, stood behind him,

Jason was about to answer when a figure turned the corner and saw the scene. Almost at the speed of light, he was behind the giant.

"You might want to calm down, Adam." Percy Jackson stated, staring him straight in the eye.

"Oh yeah?" (seemingly) Adam sneered. "And who's going to stop me?"

Percy raised an eyebrow, eyes growing cold and a shadow of a smile gracing his face. Adam's smile dropped from his face, eyes turning away from this dangerous teen.

"Let's go guys. He's not worth it." Adam stuttered. The giants turned their backs and high-tailed it outta there.

Percy offered a hand, his smile growing warmer.

" Let's get out of here." he said.

Jason grabbed his hand, and looked up at Percy, and saw him as an ally, not competition.

LINE BREAK

Frank always saw Percy as a friend, not the god that everyone proclaimed him to be. He just didn't see it. So he had a few powers? Jason had powers, Leo had powers, everyone has powers, we're demigods.

So why did people see him as some kind of god? He was just Percy, nothing more, nothing less. He wasn't a hero. He was too goofy and clumsy to save the day. Frank couldn't believe the stories spun about him. They couldn't be true.

Could they?

Frank didn't believe it until that day.

Frank was having a bad day. So far, he had been battered, bludgeoned, and bashed, all within the first three hours since waking up.

He was now losing to a band of Venti intent on destroying the camp, again. He was one of only two people helping, him and Jason. Jason should have been able to control them. But Jason was… not exactly helpful.

They were losing. That much he knew. Jason had been hit, slamming into the mast, unconscious. Again.

"I'm doomed," he thought, shifting into a wolf, ready to attack again.

He looked around at the venti, not too happy about his chances. Making it out without a scratch? Definitely not. Making it out alive? Hopefully.

He was determined to see Hazel again. He had gone through the war on Gaea, hell if he was going to die now. A venti dove, electricity crackling through its body. He was definitely dead now.

A sword slammed into the ventus' body, making the ventus explode into wind. Percy looked at Frank, smiling, before spinning into action. He whipped around, sword swinging through the air as Percy danced from venti to venti.

That was terrifying.

Frank looked up at Percy in awe. He just took on an entire fleet of venti by himself. Who does that? Someone clearly with a deathwish.

At that moment, Frank looked up. He saw Percy standing over him, offering his hand to his friend. That moment, as Frank looked up, he didn't see Percy. He saw a god, a mighty hero doing what he does best.

And that both amazed and terrified him.

LINE BREAK

Nico saw Percy as a hero the very first time that he met him.

Of course, his first sight of Percy was of him fighting for his life with a manticore. Any kid would see that as a particularly heroic feat, no matter how small or large. Nico saw Percy as untouchable.

When he journeyed into Tartarus, the only thing keeping him going was being like Percy, acting as Percy would. He thought that, since the older boy had not died yet, he must be doing something right.

Oh how wrong he was.

He should've died. The amount of stupid situations he got himself into, he should have died. Tartarus was a dangerous place, and he willingly dove in. He wanted to prove himself to the mighty Percy, to have the older demigod respect him.

Nope.

In fact, it was the opposite. The older demigod treated him more like a child, tiptoeing around him as to not break him. Like he was made of glass.

He felt weak, he felt pathetic, he felt useless. Nico di Angelo was done. He would never be a hero.

It was early morning on a soon to be be bright day at Camp Half-Blood. Nobody was awake except for the birds and Nico. Nico had woken up in a cold sweat at the nightmares, the daily panic attack hitting him as soon as he woke.

He then took his daily walk across the Camp, steering clear of the cabins. He didn't want to run into anyone. Not that anyone wanted to see him.

Nico strolled to the arena, thinking that he could get some practice in before it got crowded during the day. No one was probably going to be there this early. No one was insane enough to except him.

And of course he was wrong.

As he crossed the crest of the hill, he saw a lone figure furiously slashing at the dummies. He was a blur of black and green, his eyes visible even from this high. Yep, Percy Jackson was insane.

Nico had only just started watching when Percy suddenly stopped. He watched his arm drop to his side before the rest of his body following it. He crumpled to the ground, a perfect example of someone who was done.

Nico stared in shock. Who was this figure and what had he done? Percy was so happy, so carefree, so _perfect_. What happened?

Nothing happened, Nico decided. He had just been blinded. Percy wasn't perfect. He had forgotten that the older boy had the same nightmares that plagued himself, the same horrors (or maybe more) that he faced.

Nico, from his place above the arena, could see tears stretching down the older boys face, and his eyes glimmered with more to come.

"I'm the monster," Percy sobbed, grief heavy in his voice. "I'm a monster." he repeated, his whole body shaking with sobs.

Nico stared. His hero was disintegrating before his very eyes. He had never suspected…. No, no one had. He had hidden it so well that even his girlfriend didn't know. He had the perfect mask.

Nico stopped seeing Percy as a perfect person, but he never stopped seeing him as a hero.

LINE BREAK

Piper didn't expect this.

All she had been hearing for the past few months was how amazing and gorgeous and powerful this Percy guy was. You would have thought the guy was a god by the way that they talked about him. They even compared Jason to him, and Jason _lost._ That hadn't happened before.

She just didn't see it.

When she finally saw Percy for the first time, she was disappointed. Although she hated to admit it, she had a certain eye for beauty. Jason was gorgeous, as well as Annabeth and Rachel. Why did they both love him so much? They could both probably do better.

Sure, he was good looking, but not next to Jason. She didn't understand why the people at camp looked up to this guy so much.

She really expected a Herculean- type figure (not that he was that impressing), with a well built body and a chiseled jaw. Not that Percy Jackson was scrawny. He was attractive in that 'menace to society' type of way. Cute, but dangerous. Lean, but not built.

She thought he was average.

Oh how wrong she was.

Piper was sitting on a rock by the convenient lake they had landed on. Leo needed to resupply and fix the ship. Again. So she sat, thinking about her life so far. She hadn't seen her dad in over six months. She was homesick.

She heard footsteps behind her, and assumed it was Jason. He plopped down on the rock next to her, getting comfortable.

"Jason, I am really not in the mood, so shove off." She said, not even looking at him.

The figured next to her laughed. It didn't sound like Jason…

"I would if I were Jason." Percy laughed, bumping her shoulder. Piper found herself smiling at the antics of her friend.

"What are you doing here, Percy?" Piper asked, amused.

At this, Percy immediately sombered up, avoiding her eyes. " I miss my mom." he stated, looking out onto the lake.

Piper turned to him, mouth open. How did he know that was what she was thinking about? "I miss my dad." she replied, looking down.

Percy smiled sadly." I haven't seen my mom in over a year. Since before I got 'kidnapped', I guess." He said, making air quotes.

Piper looked at him, head cocked. Why was he telling her this? It wasn't like they were close or anything. "Yeah," she said, her voice cracking. "I just really miss him." Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

Percy scooted closer to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "You'll see him again, Pipes. That is one thing that I will guarantee. I will do everything I can to ensure that you return to your dad." he said, staring into her eyes. "No need to worry."

She laughed bitterly, knowing he couldn't do anything. He couldn't make sure that any of them came home. No one could.

"I'll get you back to your dad, Pipes. I swear on my life."

She looked up at him in shock. He barely even knew her and he was willing to sacrifice his happiness for hers? Her mind reeled with this new information, trying to process it. He would give anything for her.

She looked at him again. In the cool night air with the moonlight shining down on him, Percy Jackson outshone Aphrodite herself.

LINE BREAK

She never really saw him as a hero. Even when he was off saving the world, she never saw it. He was always just Percy, not this big hero everyone made him out to be. He was a big loser and she loved him for a it.

Hazel thought of Percy as her brother and therein lied her problem. She didn't think Nico was dangerous either, even though he could summon zombies. I mean, come on, can you get more dangerous than that?

For gods sake, Frank was more dangerous than he was in her mind, and he was the farthest thing from dangerous you could get. No, Percy Jackson was not dangerous.

She of course had heard the stories, but she like all others made the mistake of treating them as exaggerations. Oh, that was such a mistake.

She believed him to be this carefree happy puppy of a man who followed Annabeth around. You weren't in any danger unless she decided he could be. The only thing he could attack were maybe their ankles.

Sure, she was still nervous around him. She was nervous around guys in general, to be honest. She still obeyed the rules of the 1940s, so men in general were to be avoided. Percy was loud and big, so he sometimes scared her with his hyperactiveness.

But she never thought of him as particularly dangerous until then.

It was a quiet day in Camp Jupiter, and four of them were hanging on the banks of the Tiber River: Frank, Annabeth, Percy and Hazel.

They were lazing around on a blanket eating and laughing at something Percy said, everything happy and calm. Of course, that couldn't last. She was just biting into sandwich when a hellhound knocked into her. Typical.

She struggled underneath the huge mass, trying to push it off. Frank was quick to his feet, but he was too late. The hellhound will have killed her before he could've helped.

IT left as soon as it came, the weight lifted off her chest. She felt something wet drip on her face, whether it was saliva or water, she never knew. She opened her eyes.

The hellhound was suspended two feet above her in ropes of water, staring down at her in hatred. She looked over to see Percy not even concentrating. He was still eating his food, for gods sake!

With a flick of his hand, the hellhound was smashed on the bottom of the Tiber river into dust, the river current drawing the pieces apart.

He looked up at her and grinned, mouth full of peanut butter. She chuckled nervously, getting up slowly. Frank rushed her and scooped her up in his arms, hugging her to his chest.

"Don't you ever do that to me again." he whispered, hugging her tighter.

"I can't promise that," she said, looking back at the black-haired boy laughing with Annabeth.

Maybe he was dangerous.

LINE BREAK

Annabeth had known Percy for years. She had fought with him, she had cried with him, she had hated him, she had loved him. She thought she knew everything about him. She knew the way he always crinkled his nose when he was happy, or the way his eyes held so much light that it blinded her on a daily basis. She knew how much guilt he felt over each and every death.

He may have been the hero of Olympus, but he was more than that. He was sweet, and funny and a clutz and her Seaweed Brain. He was always messing up, but he always found a way to make things right. Percy still wasn't bitter at the gods and he always had a smile on his face. He was hers and hers alone. She knew she was safe with him, no matter where or what they were facing.

He was the one constant in her life.

He was always there, always there to comfort her and protect her. (not that she needed protecting) And after Tartarus… well who else was going to hold her while she had a panic attack or comfort her while she cried?

She never thought that he needed someone like that.

It was a Thursday at Goode High on that fateful day. It was C block history, and Annabeth was already having a bad day. She had gotten a B+ on a Calculus test and had gotten three hours of sleep due to a hellhound attack. She was pretty much _done_.

She walked alone down the hall between classes, not even bothering to go to her next class. She heard something that sounded like… was that crying? Wow, that's awkward. She really didn't want to deal with that at the moment. But, as she passed the cracked door of the classroom, she froze. She recognized that voice. Percy?

She peered into the classroom, confused as all hell. She had been through literal hell, she knew what she was talking about. Percy sat, curled up into a ball on the floor of the classroom. Crying his eyes out.

He wasn't a pretty crier either. No, he was the red faced, choking sobs, struggling to breathe crier.

She didn't know what to do. He was always the strong one, the one whose shoulder she had to cry on. He wasn't the one who cried. At least, she didn't think he was. She was proven so wrong.

She walked into the room, slowly crouching to touch his shoulder. He didn't even move. He just continued sobbing. She began to gently rub his back, setting herself down on the ground beside him.

"It's okay," she murmured quietly, unsure of what to say. "It's okay. You'll be okay. It's okay," she repeated over and over, trying to gently soothe her boyfriend. "It's okay, it's not your fault, it's ok…"

She continued on until his sobs grew into hiccups. "It's all my fault," he said brokenly. "I killed all of them. I killed all of them. I don't deserve to be alive." Tartarus didn't hurt her the way his words did.

That was the day her heart truly broke.


End file.
